International Multiple Birth Awareness Week
November 7—13th, 2016
News From Around The World
May 2016
Chairperson Report
Monica Rankin
Greetings everyone,
I must apologise for the lateness of this newsletter. I am on holiday at the moment, we have been
travelling through Italy and Greece for the past 5 weeks and I haven’t had time to finalise articles
for this edition of the newsletter.
The most exciting news in this edition is the release of our long awaited survey on single parenting of
multiples. Please circulate the links as widely as you can – to Facebook, websites and other social
media. We would like as much information as possible so that we can prepare a comprehensive
publication on single parenting. A HUGE thank you to Susan Griffith who has written the survey and
done a lot of work uploading the various versions onto Survey Monkey. Thank you also to our
volunteers who translated it from English into French, German, Czech, Japanese, Spanish and Finnish.
I hope you enjoy the latest news from ICOMBO. As always, I would love to hear your comments on
anything you read here.
Regards, Monica
In this edition:
Chairperson report………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….page 1
Multiple Birth Awareness ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...page 2
Single Parent Survey …………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………....page 3
Multiple Birth Canada………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………..page 4
Conference News…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….page 5
Multiples NZ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………….page 6
Study Results—Twins For Life…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...page 7
Find us on Facebook………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..page 8
Celebra on INTERNATIONAL MULTIPLE BIRTH AWARENESS WEEK 2016 We will be celebra ng Interna onal Mul ple Birth Awareness Week (IMBAW) from Monday 7 November through Sunday 13 November. The theme this year is “Adolescence in Mul ples, the transi on from a child to an adult in a mul ple birth rela onship.” We will explore the complexi es of transi oning to becoming an independent adult while maintaining the unique rela onship and bond that mul ples have with their co‐mul ple(s). Please adver se these dates within your organisa on. It would be great if you are able to organise events at this me to promote the week. This is an excellent me to schedule a twin panel on this topic at your local club mee ng. We need your assistance in preparing materials – in English and in other languages on this topic. If you can assist by securing wri en materials from your members or known authors, or assist in any other way, that would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Monica at [email protected] ICOMBO Proudly Announces……... LAUNCH OF OUR NEW PUBLICATION – MulƟple Birth Siblings as Adolescents
We are very excited to announce that the English version of this tle is now available to ICOMBO members. At conven on 2014, in Budapest, the Finnish Mul ple Birth Associa on offered their publica on for use by ICOMBO members. They had received funding to research and publish the resource, so it was a very generous offer. Ulla, from Finland, also sourced some volunteers who gave their me for several months to translate the publica on into English. We are very grateful to these volunteers and thank them for their work. It would not have been an easy task.  The publica on is available for all financial members of ICOMBO. As it is 29 pages in length, it is large to email, so it has been uploaded to our remote storage site. Please down‐
load it directly from this site. h ps://remote.tamba.org.uk/remote
REMOTE ACCESS STORAGE FACILITY You may be aware that some me ago, TAMBA offered the use of their remote access storage facility, so that we can store documents and publica ons securely and have them available to all members, using a password. As this informa on is only available to financial members of ICOMBO, the password has been changed. By the me you read this newsle er, you should have received informa on on the current password and how to access the site. If you haven’t received the email, please contact Monica at [email protected] Page 2
ICOMBO
Research and Survey News
STILLBIRTHS IN MULTIPLE BIRTH PREGNANCIES It seems that the incidences of s llbirth in twin, triplet and HOM pregnancies is much higher than the rate of s llbirths in singleton pregnancies. We are trying to collect data to show the rate of s llbirths in mul ple birth pregnancies in different countries. So far, we have informa on from Germany, New Zealand, Australia and United Kingdom. ICOMBO would like to approach clinicians/doctors/researchers with some data and ask them to inves gate the reasons for the high incidence in mul ple births, and to perhaps find ways to be er manage the pregnancies to improve the outcome for families. If you are able to assist in any way, by supplying data for your country, or assist with the research in some way, please contact Monica at [email protected]. Single Parenting of Multiple Birth Children
ICOMBO is pleased to announce its Single Paren ng Survey that is ready for distribu on. Please encourage all your single parent members to complete this survey during June or July by publishing the link on your website and announcing it through your social media or other outlets. Results will be shared in an upcoming newsle er. [email protected] A special thanks to Susan Griffith for authoring the survey and all the ICOMBO members who assisted with the various transla on. English version h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BX2QZCL Czech version h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W6FFL9L French version h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G3WSRTB
German version of ICOMBO's h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W6HHJV2 Spanish version of ICOMBO's h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W6ZJ6GM Finnish version of ICOMBO's h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZVB5RZ Japanese version of ICOMBO h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZSTBW6 Page 3
ICOMBO
Multiple Birth Canada
On Mothering Multiples:
Complexities and Possibilities
Edited by Kathy Mantas
This edited collection of narratives documents the sorrows, joys, fears
and the complexities of intertwined emotions and realities involved in
conceiving, birthing, parenting and caring for multiple babies. Each
situation is well described and documented with care and compassion.
The stories are candid, realistic and relevant; each confronting
controversial issues and debunking myths with clarity and conviction.
The authors have clearly come to understand themselves and to gain
new insights as gendered social beings. They raise questions on the
social construction of good mothering from various perspectives that
provoke reader response as well.
—Sharon Abbey, Director, Centre of Adult Education and Community
Outreach, Faculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
As many parents would doubtless agree, going from one child to two
more than doubles the workload and often completely changes the
parenting experience. Parenting twins or triplets, however, brings an
entirely different set of complications and considerations. On Mothering
Multiples offers a diverse array of narrative, scholarly, and artistic
contributions on the topic, individual entry points into what, for many of
us, is a foreign experience.
—Rachel Epp Buller, author of Reconciling Art and Mothering
February 2016
288 pages
$34.95
ISBN 978-1-926452-78-4
On Mothering Multiples: Complexities and Possibilities is not a traditional
“guide” or “how to” parenting book; rather, it offers reflections on some
of the more challenging aspects and stages of mothering (and parenting) multiples and provides insight into some of the realities of those
that conceive, give birth to and mother multiples. By attempting to cover
topics and experiences that are often neglected in traditional
multiple-birth literature, this collection of thought provoking, scholarly
and creative articles makes a valuable contribution to the subject of
mothering multiple-birth children. This book is a celebration of the array
of complexities, possibilities and emotions involved in receiving the gift
of multiple-birth children and of mothering multiples.
—Kimberley Weatherall, former Executive Director, Multiple Births
Canada (MBC) / Naissances Multiple Canada, Board Member and Past
Chair, International Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (ICOMBO)
To order the above title:
Please visit Demeter website www.demeterpress.org
FREE POSTAGE ON ORDERS $60 OR MORE
MIRCI Members/Demeter authors/editors/contributors receive 40% off all titles:
Please email [email protected] for coupon code.
FOR WHOLESALE/BULK NORTH AMERICAN SALES PLEASE CONTACT OUR DISTRIBUTOR
Brunswick books
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ICOMBO
Conference News
Mul ples NZ (formerly New Zealand Mul ple Birth Associa on) Na onal Conference 2016 This year Southland Mul ple Birth Club is hos ng our annual Mul ples NZ conference from 30th September to 2nd October in Invercargill with the theme ‘Keep Calm and Soldier On!” A mantra all too familiar for us parents of mul ples. Our hec c lives filled with juggling rou nes, cuddles, finances and rela onships o en require us to stop, breathe and soldier on... The organising team have created a metable full of choice with enough scope to allow par cipants to formulate a plan which will meet their vision for the trip. We understand that the annual conference provides an opportunity to get away for the weekend and have some ‘me me’. We are sure that the events we have in mind will allow for this, while s ll providing ample opportunity to learn, form rela onships and gather informa on to take back to clubs. Our main headline speaker is Dr. Eileen Pearlman, from California. Dr. Pearlman is an iden cal twin, so is privy to some insider knowledge! She is also a licensed marriage and family counsellor, child therapist and the founder of Twinsight. Twinsight is a founda on which provides counseling, workshops, and seminars to mul ples and their families. She is also the author of Raising Twins, a highly regarded book on what parents want to know when naviga ng this world of mul ples. Dr. Pearlman will talk about twin loss, iden ty and what our mul ples need from us. This informa on will be of benefit to all of us and will aid us in our understanding of the needs of our families, par cularly during the trauma of losing a child. We feel very fortunate to have her join us as her knowledge, insight and understanding are second to none. Our second speaker is Dr. Alexandra Hart, from Auckland. Dr. Hart specializes in rela onships and how our personali es affect the way we interact with people. She will describe the five love languages and how we can use this knowledge in our daily lives, par cularly within our rela onships with our children. This topic will be par cularly beneficial for parents of teenagers. Understanding our children’s needs and how we can fulfill these is extremely important as we help them to navigate the transi on from teen to adulthood. We have many other events scheduled for the weekend, covering a range from the serious to the silly. The Mul ples NZ Exec have several sessions targeted just for presidents and other commi ee members. These include ‘Managing the Tough Stuff’ (Equip yourself with the skills and confidence you need to resolve conflict and nego ate difficult situa ons) and ‘Recrui ng and Retaining Volunteers’. We would like to extend an invita on to anyone in the interna onal mul ples community to join us from Friday the 30 September un l Sunday the 2nd October in Invercargill for a wonderful weekend of reflec on, learning, collabora on and relaxa on. Crossroads & Connections
Atlanta, Georgia—2016
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ICOMBO
Multiples NZ
New Zealand Mul ple Birth Figures Sta s cs New Zealand have recently released birth figures for the 2015 year. In 2015 there were 828 sets of twins born and 14 sets of triplets (these figures include s llbirths). This is up slightly from 2014 (808 sets twins and 11 sets of triplets) but total births were also higher. Mul ple births accounted for 1.39% of all births in 2015 compared to 1.44% in 2014. There hasn’t been a set of quads born in New Zealand since 1998! The following graphs show the long term trends for mul ple births in NZ. The number of births in New Zealand had been on the decline but increased slightly in 2015, hence probably why the number of mul ples born was slightly higher than the previous year. The peak in total numbers of mul ples born was in 2007, which was also around the peak of total births. Total births in 2007 were similar to 1971 (when the records on Sta s cs NZ website start) and a er this point they dropped quite significantly through to mid‐80’s when they rose again, plateaued then rose again in mid‐ 2000’s and since then mainly on a downward trend. Looking at the picture of mul ple births as a percentage of all births the picture is quite different. In the 1970’s mul ple births only sat at around 1% of all births. This then rose through the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s before dropping a li le and now appearing to plateau (although well above rates for the 1970’s). The increase can be a ributed to fer lity treatment but now only one embryo is transplanted in most cases this accounts for the slight drop. Other factors that probably contribute to increase in mul ple births are the age of the mother (we are having babies later) and use of the contracep ve pill (there is a higher chance of mul ples if you conceive just a er coming off the pill). 2016 ICOMBO MEMBERSHIP
Do you know an organization or individual that could benefit from being an ICOMBO member?
Pease contact Monica at [email protected]
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ICOMBO
Study Results
-by
Oliver Shirley
TWINS FOR LIFE How are the lives of twins, as individuals, affected by their twinship? The popular myths about twins ('a permanent best friend in your own image') may be contradicted by the actual experience of twins themselves. In adulthood they may experience fundamental contradic ons and confusions because of the influence of the twin rela onship. Focusing on opposite‐sex twins, Oliver Shirley (an O/S twin himself) has recently carried out a pioneering study on the life me effects of twinship. He interviewed six opposite‐sex twins, four females and two males. They were all middle‐aged or older, like himself, and therefore in a posi on to look back on their lives and think about the effects of their twinship. Oliver found that none of the six interviewees reported having had a close rela onship with their mother in infancy and childhood, but five said that they had had a close rela onship with their co‐twin which con nued into adulthood and up to the present. Cleaving to their co‐twin seemed to have complicated and disrupted their development as an individual and compromised their ability to form mature adult rela onships. They responded to the challenges of twinship in different ways. Some of their responses were defensive and regressive but others were progressive and developmental. For example, some had developed crea ve ac vi es such as art making; others had found work situa ons in which their ability to get on with members of the opposite sex was a posi ve advantage; one had developed a successful career as an entrepreneur. Oliver concluded that the basic dilemma that they all faced was similar to that of same‐sex twins ‐ how to honor their twinship while at the same me a emp ng to forge a unique iden ty. But when it came to developing adult rela onships with members of the opposite sex these six O/S twins seemed to have experienced an addi onal and fundamental challenge. To read Oliver's study go to: Bri sh Journal of Psychotherapy Volume 32, Issue 1, Pages 1‐150, February 2016 h p://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjp.12197/abstract (You have free access to this content) or contact him direct on: [email protected] Together
we make a
…
difference
Share your organisation
news here!

New Board members?

Conference coming up?

Survey to share?

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Reference materials or
books to share?
ICOMBO
Join us on Facebook
ICOMBO ON FACEBOOK
ICOMBO public Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/InternationalCouncilofMultipleBirthOrganisations?ref=hl
We are gaining more interest from individuals around the world. Have you taken a look and “liked” the
page?
Do you have any information you would like to see posted on this page? If so, please contact Monica at
[email protected]
ICOMBO also has a members-only closed group on Facebook. The concept behind this group is so that
members can discuss issues about their organisations with some privacy, rather than post comments and
questions publically. There are up to 4 or 5 individuals from each of our member groups who are members
of this ICOMBO Facebook group. For more information, please contact Monica at [email protected]
ICOMBO Board Members
 Monika Rankin, Australian Multiple Birth Association, Chair
 Susan J. Griffith, Multiples of America
 Tiffany Wimberly, Multiples of America
 Terri Gillis, Multiples of America
 Kimberley Weatherall, Multiple Birth Canada
 Donald Keith, The Center for Study of Multiple Birth
 Keith Reed, Twins and Multiple Births Association, UK
 Christine Disselkamp, ABC Club, Germany
 Pat Preedy, Twins and Multiple Births Association, UK
Do you have organisation or event news to share?
We want to hear what is happening in your organisation! Articles are welcome for the next
edition of the ICOMBO newsletter. Deadline: August 15, 2016
Send to: [email protected]
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